FDA Sends Wisconsin Governor Warning Letter About Prescription Drug Web site
FDA Associate Commissioner William Hubbard on Thursday sent a letter to Wisconsin Gov. Jim Doyle (D), saying a state-created Web site with links to Canadian pharmacies "undermines one of our nation's key consumer protection statutes, and places [Wisconsin residents] at unnecessary risk of harm from unregulated pharmaceuticals," the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports (Walters, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 3/18). The Web site includes information on three Canadian pharmacies that residents can use to purchase medications. The site is similar to one operated by Minnesota. Doyle said that the three Canadian pharmacies on the Wisconsin Web site are "reliable sources of safe medicines." Two of the three Canadian pharmacies -- Total Care Pharmacy of Calgary and Granville Pharmacy of Vancouver -- also appear on the Minnesota Web site. Wisconsin's site also includes CanadaDrug.com of Winnipeg (Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, 2/26). FDA also sent a warning letter to Minnesota (Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, 2/27). The Wisconsin letter does not say that FDA will take legal action to shut down the site, but it says that the state should make residents aware of possible safety issues with purchasing medications that have not been manufactured, shipped or held under FDA jurisdiction. In the letter, Hubbard suggests that Doyle add to the Web site a warning that "drugs ... citizens might purchase are not necessarily approved by American medical authorities and may thus be unsafe," the Journal Sentinel reports. According to the letter, some Canadian pharmacies "have been found substantially lacking in contemporary standards for safe pharmacy practices." Hubbard also said that the state's SeniorCare program, which provides low-income senior citizens assistance with their drug costs, in some cases could save Wisconsin residents more money than the Canadian pharmacies would, according to the Journal Sentinel. Doyle sent a team of state officials to Canada to "check out safety and other practices" in three pharmacies listed on the Web site, the Journal Sentinel reports. Doyle said that FDA "continues to try to scare people," adding, "If the federal government continues to do nothing to help our citizens with the high cost of prescription drugs, Wisconsin will have to act on our own" (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 3/18).
This is part of the Morning Briefing, a summary of health policy coverage from major news organizations. Sign up for an email subscription.